1 For I made up my mind ^unot to make another painful visit to you. 2 For ^vif I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, ^wfor I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For ^xI wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

5 Now ^yif anyone has caused pain, ^zhe has caused it not to me, but ^ain some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, ^bthis punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so ^cyou should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might ^dtest you and know ^ewhether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for ^fwe are not ignorant of his designs.

12 When ^gI came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though ^ha door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit ⁱwas not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But ^jthanks be to God, who in Christ always ^kleads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads ^lthe fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among ^mthose who are being saved and among ⁿthose who are perishing, 16 ^oto one a fragrance from death to death, ^oto the other a fragrance from life to life. ^pWho is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.